There to Protect Her
by SanseiAme
Summary: Her head was turned to the side, and she was wearing a thick jacket and a pair of jeans. Which he thought was weird. It was eighty-five degrees outside. "Luce, what's wrong?" he asked. She turned to him. There was a nasty bruise around her eye, and her lower lip was busted. "C-can I stay here tonight?" NaLu oneshot


There to Protect Her

* * *

It was a really slow day for Natsu. He'd just gotten back to Magnolia after going on a solo mission, and there was nothing for him to do. Normally, he would just go to Lucy's house, but he knew she wasn't there. She told him she had a date that day, which annoyed him for two reasons. One, she wasn't able to go on the mission with him and Happy; and two, she was going on a date with… _Trent._ At least, that's what Natsu thought his name was. He'd only met the bastard once, and that was because he was _positive_ that the guy was a class-A douchebag. He tried telling Lucy about his suspicions, but she wouldn't listen to him, saying how he thought something was wrong with all of her boyfriends.

Which, he supposed, was true. Doug was gay – don't ask how he knew the moment he saw the man. Charlie was a narcissist who was only interested into getting into Lucy's pants – which, much to Natsu's immense relief, he didn't. Luke was, for lack of a better word, retarded. Andrew was clingy. And Natsu had a hunch that Trent was cheating on her. And Natsu's hunches were almost _never _wrong. And thinking about that man dating another woman on top of Lucy angered him beyond words could describe. Lucy deserved better. She deserved someone who would love her unconditionally, someone who would always be there for her, someone who would protect her, someone who would never hurt her.

…someone like him.

Yes, it was true. Natsu had developed more than a crush on Lucy Heartfilia over the years. But he knew she wouldn't go for him. And because of that, he was alright with her dating other guys. Mostly. If only she would stop dating the worst men in the town, _then_ he would be alright. He was just waiting for the day when she found out Trent was a pig. Although, from what he could tell, she really liked Trent. She was only heading for heartbreak, and it hurt him just to think about it.

Natsu sighed as he slowly made his way into the forest, toward his home. The sun was going down, and he was exhausted from his mission. He couldn't wait to walk through the front door, take a nice hot shower, and go to sleep. He was stunned to see a figure hunched on his porch, and concern washed over him when he realized it was his best friend herself, sitting in front of the front door. She was clothed in a beautiful coral blue cocktail dress and black heels, her blonde hair cascading down her back and shoulders in slight waves. She was crying.

"Lucy?" he called. She looked up at him, startled. She hadn't heard him approach.

"Natsu," she mumbled, her voice strained from crying. His eyes were clouded with worry as he sat down beside her.

"What happened?"

She sniffled and rubbed her eyes, causing her light makeup to smear. "I'm sorry I came here from out of the blue like this," she said between sobs. Natsu shook his head.

"Don't be sorry," he said softly. She continued, as if he hadn't said anything.

"I just didn't know what else to do."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it. "You don't have to apologize, just tell me what happened." Lucy took a deep, shaky breath. She hugged herself, trying to keep from shaking.

"Trent dumped me," she confessed quietly. "For another woman." Natsu felt his heart sink into his stomach like a stone. So he was right about him cheating on her.

"Ah, Luce," he muttered, hanging his head.

"You were right about him, Natsu. I should've listened to you."

Natsu looked up at her and shook his head. "I didn't want to be right, Luce. Don't blame this on yourself." Lucy leaned forward slightly, sobbing. Natsu felt terrible. He scooted closer to her so he could drape his arm around her shoulders. "Hey," he whispered, pulling her against him. "Shh…" As they sat there, it finally came to Natsu's mind that her skin was cold, and she was wearing a dress. She must be freezing. "Wanna come inside?" he asked gently. Lucy nodded, and he helped her to her feet and opened the door, letting her go in first. "Do you want some water? Or some tea?" he asked politely as she sat down on his couch. "I know you prefer tea when you're sad." He put on a cute smile, trying to cheer her up. Lucy offered him a small grin in return.

"Some tea would be great," she murmured, her voice cracking slightly at the end. His smile faded into a subtle frown as he nodded and left the room. He came back several minutes later with a small glass in his hand. Lucy kicked off her heels and curled her legs beneath her, taking the cup into her hands. He sat beside her as she took a sip. He looked her up and down, trying to find something to say.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" he inquired, placing a comforting hand on her knee. She held the glass close to her chest and sniffled. He knew he wasn't very good in terms of consoling, but she was his best friend. He wanted to be there for her, help her. "I've heard that talking about it usually helps it get better." He leaned forward to try and connect his gaze with hers, a goofy grin plastered on his face. She giggled weakly, but shook her head.

"There's not much to talk about," she said slowly, reaching forward to put the glass on the coffee table. Natsu grin faltered, but didn't fall. He understood her reasoning, and he wasn't going to push her. He'd known her long enough to know that she would talk to him when she was ready. So for now, he would just be silly, try to help her feel better. He growled playfully as he leaned forward and rested his head on her lap, nuzzling gently into her stomach. She sniffled and giggled as he tickled her. He was so cute sometimes. He repositioned himself so he was lying on his back, his head resting comfortably on her thighs. They stared at each other for a while, Lucy weaving her fingers through his hair.

After a moment, Natsu grabbed the end of his scarf and lifted it to her face, using it to wipe away her tears, removing some of her smeared makeup as well. "I hate seeing you cry," he said softly. Once her face was dry and free of smeared eyeliner, he dropped his scarf and smiled at her, tucking her soft hair behind her ear. "That's better." His hand lingered on her face, cupping her cheek. Lucy laughed gently and grabbed his wrist, holding his warm hand in place. There was a pause between them, before Lucy turned her head to look at the clock on Natsu's wall.

"It's late," she said quietly, gently pulling his hand from her face. "I should go home." Disappointed, Natsu sat up to allow her to stand. She bent over to grab her heels. "Thanks for letting me stay here for a while."

"No problem," he said quickly, standing up as well. Lucy looked up at him as she put her shoes on. She smiled.

"Going somewhere?" she asked teasingly. Natsu chuckled.

"I'll, uh… I'll walk you home." She had to do a double take, her chocolate eyes widening with surprise.

"Eh?"

"I said I'll walk you home."

"Um, no, it's okay," she assured, waving her hand, trying to ignore the faint pink blush on her cheeks. "You don't have to."

"I know," he said with a toothy grin. "But I want to." Lucy stared into his eyes for a moment. He… _wanted_ to walk her home? But… it's a long walk from his house to hers. And then he'd have to walk back. Unless, of course, he was planning to spend the night again. Which he probably was. She should just say no. But the longer she stared into those beautiful, entrancing, onyx eyes of his, the more she felt her resistance floating away.

* * *

**Three days later…**

Lucy jumped slightly when she heard a knock at her door. She groaned. She was in the middle of reading a new book, and it was _just_ getting good. She marked her spot with a piece of paper and set the book down, straightening her clothes by habit as she left her room to answer the door. When she opened it, her mood darkened considerably. "What do you want, Trent?" she asked bitterly. The man cocked an arrogant eyebrow.

"What's with the tone, luv?" he questioned, stepping into her house. "Is it so wrong to come say hello to my girlfriend."

"Please," she said sarcastically. "Come inside."

"Don't mind if I do."

Lucy sighed and closed the door, folding her arms across her bosom. "Trent, we're not dating anymore. You broke up with me three days ago, remember? For that other woman." She wanted to say _slut,_ or _whore._ _Tramp,_ maybe. But she was above that. For the moment, anyway. Trent turned to her with a sick smirk on his face.

"Yeah, I remember," he snapped. "She was fun, but… she wasn't you." He reached forward and put her hands on her hips, pulling her toward him. Lucy pushed his hands away.

"Well, that's too bad. You dumped me. You made your choice."

"Come on, babe. Just a quickie?"

"No," she said firmly. Trent's smirk fell from his face.

"No?" he echoed. Suddenly, he placed a hand on her shoulder and shoved her back into the wall. "Did you just say 'no' to me?"

"Did I stutter?" she asked, managing to keep her voice from shaking. "We broke up, Trent. I'm not going to have—" She was cut off as a large hand slapped her hard across the face.

"Listen to me, you little bitch," he said dangerously. "You _don't_ talk back to me. You don't really have a say in the matter."

"You can't tell me what to do," she said back, lifting her head to look at the man towering over her. "I don't belong to you."

"We'll just have to see about that, now won't we?"

* * *

Natsu huffed as he lay in his hammock. He was supposed to go fishing with Happy today, but he said something came up and that he wouldn't be able to go. Which meant that Natsu wouldn't go. Fishing by himself was boring. Sighing, he placed his foot against the wall and began to rock himself back and forth. He had a feeling that whatever caused Happy to change his mind had something to do with Charle. It appeared to the Dragon Slayer that Charle had finally given Happy a chance. And although he was happy for the Exceed, Natsu was beginning to miss his little buddy.

He supposed he could go to Lucy's apartment and hang out there. She'd been pretty down after her breakup with Trent. Maybe he could do something to help her forget about the bastard. Yeah. That sounded good. Just as he made a move to get up, there was a knock at his door. Confused at who it could've been, he slid off his hammock and made his way for the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see Lucy on the other side. Her head was turned to the side, and she was wearing a thick jacket and jeans. Which he thought was odd. It was the middle of May, and it was eighty-five degrees outside.

"Hey, Luce," he said. "What's up?" She didn't answer, only kept her gaze on something to her left. She lifted her hands and hugged herself, her bottom lip quivering slightly, but noticeably. Natsu's brows furrowed. "Luce? What's wrong?" She still didn't answer, only inhaled a shaky breath. After a few moments, she turned to look at him. His eyes widened considerably. There was a large, nasty bruise around her left eye, and her lower lip was busted, a small trail of dried blood running down her chin. Her eyes were puffy and red, like she'd been crying. "Holy shit, Lucy," he breathed, reaching out to gently cradle her face, angling it so he could get a better look at her injury. "What happened?" She was silent as she reached up to touch his hand. She looked up at him, her deep brown eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"C-can I stay here tonight?" she asked softly, her voice shaking. "Please?" The question caught him off guard. She was asking, no – more like _begging_ to spend the night at his house? What could've done this to her? Or, a better question would be, _who_ could've done this to her. He moved to the side to allow her entrance.

"Come inside."

"Where's Happy?" she asked as she sat down on the couch, wincing slightly as she did.

"Uh, out with Charle, I think," he answered hurriedly, closing the door behind him. He ran into the kitchen. When he came back, he sat down beside her and tenderly placed an ice pack against her lip. She smiled gratefully at him, lifting her hand to hold the ice in place. They sat in silence for a moment. During that silence, Natsu analyzed her movements. She was constantly shifting in her seat, as if she were uncomfortable. And instead of sitting with her knees together, like she usually sat, her knees were apart, like something was irritating the area between her legs. He reached for her free hand, squeezing it gently in his grip. "What happened?" he asked again, his voice soft.

Again, she didn't answer him, only glanced at him through the corner of her eyes. "Lucy," he said, his voice still low, but firm. "What happened?" Despite his tone, she still didn't respond. His eyes didn't miss the single tear that trailed down her cheek, and her hand began to shake in his hold. Natsu took a deep breath, letting it out as an even sigh. He had a feeling he knew what happened. "Did… did Trent do this to you?" he inquired slowly. She flinched at his name, and his suspicions were confirmed. Trent hit her, he hurt her. Trent bruised Lucy's beautiful face. Natsu felt his blood boil, but he managed to keep his body temperature in check.

For the moment, anyway.

"Take off your clothes," Natsu demanded softly. Lucy snapped her head to look at him.

"Wh-what?" she stuttered. Natsu squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"I know he hurt you. And I know _that…_" he gestured to her face. "…is not the only thing he did. I want to see the rest of it. Take off your clothes. You don't have to do it in front of me, use the bathroom. But I want to see it." Lucy stared at him with wide, tearful eyes. Was he… was he _really_ asking her to…

"N-Natsu…" she said slowly.

"Lucy, I've seen you in a bikini before. It's basically the same thing, right?" He had a point there. She didn't know why she didn't trust him. Out of all of her male friends, Natsu was the one she could trust the most. She could trust him with her life. So, with that in mind, she nodded her head and walked into the bathroom. Natsu could hear her hissing through her teeth, so he knew it had to be bad. But, when she stepped out of the restroom in nothing but a pair of panties and a bra, he was at a complete loss of words. He wasn't expecting _this._

Lucy was _covered_ in large, dark bruises. Her chest, back, shoulders, stomach, arms, legs; _everywhere_. Not only were there nasty blue and purple bruises the size of his hand all over her body, but there were also several scratches and cuts. And there was something akin to a bite mark on her inner thigh. Natsu had never seen her so beaten. Never in all the years he's known her, in all the missions they've been on together. Not once. He stood up from the couch and moved closer to her, his eyes wide and fixated on a particularly gnarly bruise on her hip.

"Oh, my god…" he whispered, reaching up to touch the mark on her shoulder. He met her gaze. "Lucy…"

"I know," she said, her hands fiddling nervously at her sides as she looked away. "I know it's bad." She couldn't stop the tears from pouring from her eyes. She was ashamed to show this to him. She didn't like looking weak in front of him. It was embarrassing.

"Why… why didn't you defend yourself?" he asked, knowing full well that she was capable of protecting herself. She sniffled, not even bothering to wipe the tears away.

"I… I couldn't," she murmured shamefully. "He discarded my keys. I couldn't do anything…" Instinctively, she leaned forward into his chest as she choked back sobs. She wrapped her arms around his waist, ignoring the pained screams from her injuries. Natsu stared down at the top of her head for a moment, before he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her in return, taking care not to hurt her. They stayed like that for a moment, before she spoke again. Her voice was soft, broken. "I'm sorry." Natsu blinked. She was… apologizing?

"What for?" he asked just as softly, turning his head to rest his cheek on the crown of her head.

"For being so weak. I could've defended myself. I _should've_, but… I couldn't. I'm weak…"

"Lucy," he said firmly, placing his hands on her shoulders and pulling away to look at her. She was hanging her head, avoiding his eyes. "Look at me, Luce." He carefully lifted his hands to cradle her face, lifting her head to look at him. Lucy stared up into his intense eyes. When had he gotten so tall? "Listen to me, okay?" he said gently, using his thumbs to wipe her tears away. "You are not weak. You're one of the strongest girls I've ever known. But there are sometimes when you can't protect yourself, and that's okay. Things like this happen, unfortunately, but it doesn't make you weak. Do you understand me?" She sniffled and nodded her head. He smiled. "Okay. How about we take you to Wendy?"

Suddenly, Lucy began shaking her head, her eyes wide with panic. "No," she breathed. "No, no, no. I don't want anybody else to know about this."

"But, Luce, these bruises are really bad," he stated. "They will heal faster with Wendy's help." She continued to shake her head, her blonde hair swaying with the movement.

"No, Natsu. Please. It was hard enough to tell you. Can we… can we just keep this between us?" She touched one of his hands as she stared desperately into his eyes. "Please?" Natsu was hesitant. She really should go see Wendy. But she was practically begging him not to tell anyone else. And he felt himself growing weak under her gaze, those deep, lovely brown eyes drilling into his soul. He couldn't say no.

"Fine," he sighed reluctantly. "Just between us. But at least let me help with those scratches."

* * *

"I think that was the last one," Natsu said, setting down the roll of gauze bandages.

"Thank you, Natsu," Lucy murmured, getting up to go put her clothes back on. Before she could make it to the bathroom, she felt a soft blanket being draped over her shoulders. She turned to see Natsu standing behind her as he wrapped the blanket around her.

"Those clothes you were wearing must be uncomfortable," he said simply. "Just use this." She smiled gratefully at him.

"Thanks." Natsu nodded curtly and stalked toward the door, his fists clenched at his sides. She grew nervous. "Wh-where are you going?" she asked quietly.

"I'm gonna go introduce that bastard's face to a brick wall," he answered coldly.

"Natsu, don't. He isn't worth it."

He whirled around to face her, his obsidian eyes hardened and determined. "_Not worth it?_" he repeated sharply. "Lucy, he _hurt_ you! I'm not gonna stand for that! You're my nakama, Luce. My best friend. I'm not just gonna stand by and watch this guy abuse you." He turned and approached the door. His hand barely touched the knob when her arms wrapped around his waist, stopping him from going any further. He froze in place.

"Natsu," she whispered, her arms tightening around him. "Please. His blood isn't worth staining your hands with." The Dragon Slayer swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to keep his outstretched hand from shaking.

"He hurt you, Luce," he said again, his voice just as quiet as hers.

"I know. But still. Please, Natsu. Just stay here. With me." Despite the situation, Natsu felt a warmth accumulate on his cheeks. He realized the blanket had fallen from her body when she rushed to stop him. She was almost completely naked, hugging him from behind, asking him to stay with her. He gulped. Her arms tightened around him even more, and he was suddenly way too aware of her breasts pressed against his back. "Please," she whispered. The boy sighed and dropped his hand. He couldn't say no to her.

"Okay," he gave in.

"Thank you." She pulled away from him and turned away, walking over to pick up the blanket. She wrapped it around herself and curled up on the couch. She fell asleep within seconds. Natsu stood there, watching as her shoulders rose and fell with each steady breath. He lifted a hand and rubbed the back of his neck. He couldn't let her sleep on the couch. He approached her and carefully slid his arms around her, lifting her off the uncomfortable cushions and carrying her toward his bedroom. He gently lowered her onto the mattress, making sure the covers were comfortably around her. Before he could stop himself, he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear as he straightened up. He unwove the scarf from his neck, and set it under her arm. He walked out of the room, silently closing the door behind him. He opened his front door and stepped outside, making his way towards the town.

He had a lesson to teach.

* * *

"That slut had the nerve to talk back to me, too. The fucking skank…" Trent clicked his tongue as he took a swig of his drink. He and a buddy of his were hanging out at a bar, and he was currently bragging about how he forced his ex-girlfriend to sleep with him. "She even came before I did." He chuckled. "She may have been telling me to stop, but that filthy whore was enjoying it just as much as I was."

"I'd watch out if I were you, bro," his friend warned, shaking his head. "Lucy is really close friends with Fairy Tail's Salamander. If he ever heard about what you did to her, you might not live to see tomorrow."

"Pfft," Trent scoffed. "He ain't finding out shit."

"I'd listen to your friend, dickhead." Trent jumped out of surprise, his head whirling around to face the man to his left. He had a thick scar on his neck, and an unmistakable red Fairy Tail insignia on his arm. Natsu turned his fiery obsidian eyes to him. He'd assumed this prick raped Lucy as well, his thoughts flashing back to the distinguishable bite mark on her inner thigh. But he figured Lucy wouldn't want to talk about it, so he didn't ask her. "First you hit Lucy," he growled, standing from the barstool, "then you rape her, and now here you are, calling her dirty names." He reached forward and fisted the man's collar, lifting him off of his seat. "You are in for a world of pain."

Shaken, Trent looked over his shoulder at his friend for help, but was surprised to see that he was no longer there. In fact, he and Natsu were the only ones left in the bar. He turned back to the livid Dragon Slayer, and small grin on his lips. "Hey, l-l-look, man," he stuttered, holding his hands up in defense. "L-l-l-let's not d-do anything w-we're gonna regret, okay?" Natsu lifted a curious brow.

"Oh, trust me," he said, his voice lowering dangerously. "I'm not gonna be the man with any regrets by the end of the night." With that said, he cocked his hand back and landed a perfect punch to Trent's nose. He felt a wave of satisfaction at the feel of bones cracking beneath his knuckles. He released the man's shirt as he stumbled to the floor, cradling his broken nose with his hands. Natsu stepped over his chest, kneeled down to grab another fistful of Trent's shirt, lifting his head off the floorboards. With his other hand, he threw punch after punch into the man's jaw, reciting a list of colorful obscenities with each strike. After fifteen solid jabs to the face, the wizard stood up and gave him two good kicks to the gut. As Trent writhed on the floor, moaning in pain, Natsu positioned his foot over the bastard's crotch.

"If you _ever_ touch Lucy again," he said, leaning over his knee and therefore adding pressure to Trent's manhood. "I will not hesitate to come down here and rip your throat out." He added more of his weight into Trent's groin, sounding an agonized yelp from the man's throat. "Do I make myself clear?"

"P-p-p-perfectly," Trent grit out through clenched teeth.

"Good." Natsu stepped off, but leaned down to grab his collar.

After a few more minutes of hurting the man, Natsu turned Trent's clothes to ashes, tied his hands together, and hung him from the bar's sign outside, the word _fuckhead_ branded into his chest.

* * *

**Author's Note: Ne, mina! So… I have no idea where this idea came from. And I had **_**no**_** idea what to call it, so if you guys have a better name in mind, please let me know. I hope it turned out alright, thought, and I hope you guys liked it. Please leave a review!**


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